Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced today that Canada is investing more than $2 million for improved access to services to help newcomers successfully integrate.

In order to better assist new immigrants to integrate into Canadian society, the city of Toronto and the province of Ontario will work together to research different services that need to be made available to newcomers. Representatives from various fields, such as education, employment, and social services will all assist in the research. The goal of the research is to improve access to services deemed essential for integration, such as language training, for example.

As part of the City of Toronto Newcomer Initiative, professionals will be involved with essential services, such as community recreation centres, child care facilities, health offices and shelters to help new immigrants become accustomed to their new lives in Toronto.

Since 2005, Canada’s annual spending on settlement services for newcomers in Ontario has more than tripled. This year, Canada is investing almost $430 million in language training, job search workshops and placing settlement workers in schools.

This newest partnership and investment will ensure that newcomers to Toronto get the services they need to help them settle and find a good job.